The first Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society Livestock Show and Fair was held on October 26, 1858: it was announced on September 15 of that year. And thus began a pilgrimage that would be unfamiliar in nature though familiar in spirit to modern-day fairgoers: 1,800 people made their way to the Grange Hall in West Tisbury by horseback, in wagons or on foot.

Even the sun decided to make an appearance yesterday morning for the opening of the 140th Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society Livestock Show and Fair.

Fifteen minutes before the fair officially opened, carloads of big and little kids lined Panhandle Road, anxious to be the first riders on the 18 carnival rides.

An excited, yet not quite frantic, bustle around West Tisbury's Agricultural Hall suggests that it's that time again. Just in case the hectic scene isn't enough of a sign, a yellow, blue, green and pink merry-go-round sits empty in the grass semicircle in front of the Agricultural Hall, waiting to take kids for a spin.

The 140th Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society's Livestock and Fair will kick off Thursday morning at 10 a.m.

Hottest Fair in History Wins Cheers from Public

Sweltering Weather Drops Attendance to 25,000 Visitors

By ALEXIS TONTI

Two days after the close of the Martha's Vineyard Agricultural
Society Livestock Show and Fair, the blue reentry stamp still
won't quite wash off. The ink's durability through sweat and
swim and shower is pretty amazing - and a bit frustrating -
but ultimately a good thing. Most everyone left and returned, and that
stamp was their ticket back in.

The activity filling the roadways in West Tisbury yesterday morning could only mean one thing: The 141st annual Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society Livestock Show and Fair had opened its gates at 10 a.m. for the first of four eventful days.

Groups of kids stood at nearby bus stops, people walked along the road toward the event, cars full of parents and children began to back up for the field parking - and the fair had only just begun.

A father and son, after parking, sprinted to the ticket booth with smiles on their faces, laughing all the way there.

The ferris wheel's been planted, the entry forms returned, the dogs bathed, allowances saved, curfews set.

In the final days before the 141st annual Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society Livestock Show and Fair begins, volunteers are plugging through the fair's "to do" list. It's a list that Eleanor Neubert - fair manager for 19 years - knows well.

All bets were off for those who planned to pace themselves during the opening morning of the 142nd Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society Livestock Show and Fair.

Along with the Ferris wheel and the tilt-a-whirl, one of the wildest rides of the Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society Livestock Show and Fair this year was provided by the weather.

Eleanor Neubert, fair manager, said the weather gets much of the credit for the fact that attendance this year totaled 27,887 people, more than a thousand above last year's total and an all-time record for the fair.

There was record turnout at the start of the 143rd annual Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society Livestock Show and Fair, which began yesterday. Overcast skies kept people away from the beach, so they came to the fair instead, said Eleanor Neubert, fair manager.

Yesterday's opening day was full of fun and a few glitches. The ever popular Ferris wheel, which gives riders a skyline view of the fairgrounds, broke down in the first hours of the fair. The apparatus had to be hand cranked so riders could get off. "They've ordered a part," said Ms. Neubert.

The 144th annual Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society Livestock Show and Fair set records in attendance, and participation, resulting in shortages in unexpected ways.

"This is even better than the Clinton years," said fair manager Eleanor Neubert, who reported attendance of 29,022 over the four-day fair, up more than a thousand from last year.